Religious leaders from the Muslim, Bektashi, Orthodox and Catholic communities met together for a series of workshops on community development in Albania. Through the Fostering Religious Harmony in Albania project, small-scale projects were initiated by members of these communities.

USAID Holds First Faith-Based Community Development Workshop

Reaching Citizens in Need
USAID Holds First Faith-Based Community Development Workshop

July 11, 2003 | Tirana, Albania

Religious leaders from the Muslim, Bektashi, Orthodox and Catholic communities met together in a three-part series of workshops on community development in Albania. This was the first time where these religious groups had the opportunity to take their different skills and experiences and learn to channel them, using new tools and techniques that will aid them to reach the Albanian citizen in all forms of need.

Despite fifty years of suppression during communism, these religious groups have reemerged, demonstrating the felt need to nurture the Albanians’ spiritual side as well as the material. They came enthusiastically to the training hoping to assist their communities better as they strive for tolerance and understanding amongst the people they work with.

Historically, Albania has enjoyed an admirable degree of tolerance among the various religious communities, which is unique in the Balkans. There is very little religious tension between the groups, and in fact they have often worked together in helping needy families in their efforts to overcome poverty and hardship. However, this assistance, although meritorious, is usually handed out and does not require community participation. As a result, an opportunity for capacity building and independence is missed.

All the participants that came to the workshop realized that community participation needed to be an integral part of all of their activities. A highly experienced community development practitioner from the US taught the benefits and challenges of community involvement, project identification tools such as SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), use of focus groups, peer counseling, mentoring, encouragement of volunteerism and working in groups, training of trainers, as well as participatory feedback mechanisms for evaluation and further action.  In addition, a variety of project possibilities was presented for adaptation to the specific communities; savings groups, agricultural or livestock projects, small health or education projects, or conflict resolution or legal aid endeavors.

Follow-up workshops will take place in October 2002 and February 2003. It is anticipated that small-scale, self-funded community development interventions will be initiated by various religious communities in Albania.